TORQUOISES A Mineral Gem of Recent Discovery in the Person Mines

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 165, 14 August 1886, Page 4

TORQUOISES A Mineral Gem of Recent Discovery in the Person Mines

Turquoises are found, in Thibet, China, and the neighbourhood of Mount Sinai, but almost wholly from the celebrated Persian mines. -Very little, was known about theee till a remarkably" interesting and exhaustive report upon' them' wagi recently furnished to the ' British' Foreien'Office by Mr A. Hdntum Schlndler; who waß for a short* time director of the^mrnfes. 1 "Tbiy are situated in arange of mountains bounding oh the north' an open plain in the Bari-Maden district, thirty-two 1 miles '" northwest of Nfshapur, in the 'Province of Khoraeean. Botanists tell us that' the brightest ' blue is seen on Alpine flowers. "If 1 pure mountain air -'could- be supposed to brighten the colour of a' gem as well as a 1 flower, there i* po want of 'it where these turqubiee veins occur.' < Their position is between 5,000 and 6,ooo 'feet above the sea', and a strong north 1 wind bio'wa almost constantly over the ridges of the' hills, rendering the' situation 'yery - bedlthyi Wheat; barley/ and 'mulberry-trees grow well on the slopes at th'e ! lower of these^ heights. At the 'minW the" turquoises are roughly divided into' three' classes) o|' firstj second, a*nd third qualities. All ttie' stories of good and fast colour and favourable shape belong' to the first class. "But hp% curiously these vary, in Value will be Best understood by quoting Mr Schindler's own word's. *j It is impossible to' ; fix any price "or classify them according 1 to different; qualities. I have not yet seen two 'stones' alike.: A stone two-thirds \oi 'an inch* in length, ibwo'-fif tbi of an irich in width,' and |about half an inch in tnicknesB, J cvt l p'eik'api (conical) shape', "was valued at 1 £30pj another, bf about the 'same Bise, Bhape, 'apd 3 cut,'iwis valued at only'fSO.' Turquoises of. the size of a pea were 'sometimes Isold" fo'r s £B.'' | The colour most, prized ia\ the t/deep t /deep \blue oi Vthe sky. ' A small speck of a Herh'fceV colour, , which only, connoisseurs can disting'uien, or an almost unappreciable tinge of green, decreases the' yalue r considerably. Then .there is thW'un'deffnable/prop.erty of a good turquoise, "'th'e'Vzat, something like the 'water' of a diamond,' .or the lust of a pearl • a fine coloured turquoise without the zat is not worth^much^" ' fle gubeequently adds : «' The' ab6,ve mentioned £300,Meehedturq uoise was bought frpm* the finder by one of, the RiBh : i-Saf(da t of the ,village) fot i: £3 ; n latter .sold it,, still un-' cut, at Meshed for £38. As s^on asit was 1 cut its value became apparent, and it was sent.tQ Paris, •where : it.wj*a>val t ued,.at; £600. TJbe second purchaser,, however, received only £340 for it ;' the difference 'was gained" by the agents." .' ' > »."• • - : Among the fine' turquoiseß in the possession of the Shah there is one valued at £2,000. > The best stones of : the second 1 class are worth about £90 per pound, while ' the most inferior will scarcely bring a twentieth part of this price. -The latter are " chiefly used in Persiafor. the decoration of swords, horse-trapping, pipe heads, and the common kinds of jewellery; Small cut turquoises of a slightly better quality than these sell at the rate^f-from -two shillingsto three shillings per thousand. In the third class are included stones unsaleable in Persia, - ias well as large flat'stonesv some of which are esteemed for amulete, brooches, buckles and the like. The prices given there will be more than doubled when the turquoises are sold in Europe. i '